Breaking news: Fornebu Arena to host Oslo 2010

About Didrik Solli-Tangen

Didrik Solli-Tangen was born on a summer day twenty-two years ago outside of Porsgrunn, a town situated a couple of hours south west of Oslo, Norway. He had a typical Norwegian childhood and among his interests were off-road biking, skateboarding and of course, music.

The brand new Fornebu Arena, some 15 minutes from Oslo's city centre, will host the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest on 25, 27 and 29 May next year. Host Broadcaster NRK announced that today. A pre-agreement was signed earlier today by NRK and the stadium, which is situated in Bærum just south of Norway's capital.

It has been clear for some time that the contest will take place within the greater metropolitan area of Oslo. Today the venue became official: The Final, the Semi-Finals and the large numbers of rehearsals, press conferences and other events will take place at Fornebu during May 2010.

"This is a huge and important event. NRK is looking forward to working with Fornebu Arena in a both positive and constructive way during the coming year," says the Norwegian Broadcasting Company's Director General, Hans Tore Bjerkaas.

Fornebu Arena is Northern Europe's largest indoor stadium, with a capacity of 15,000 spectators for football matches, and 23,000 for concerts. The arena opened in February 2009, and has since welcomed more than 70,000 visitors for concerts by the likes of AC/DC and Tina Turner.

"An arena for great occasions"

"We believe this is a good solution. Fornebu Arena is constructed to host major events -- and this is definitely a spectacular event. This choice secures superb conditions for the production," says Hasse Lindmo, TV-producer of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest at NRK. "Factors such as size, outdoor space and other production facilities have been important in the decision. It feels great to start summer vacation knowing we have the best possible starting point for the huge job ahead of us."

EBU praises working pace

Last month, a team of European Broadcasting Union (EBU) representatives visited Oslo for a kick-off production meeting with the core 2010 Eurovision Song Contest team of NRK.

"They already filled their key positions, did in-depth research to what it takes to organise this enormous event and they are eager to lay the foundations of the production before summer holidays. I believe NRK made a good choice by picking the Fornebu Arena as location for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. It's brand new, equipped with the latest technologies and seems to meet all requirements to host Europe's favourite TV-show," says Svante Stockselius, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the EBU.

The EBU Reference Group of the Eurovision Song Contest will visit the arena in September to formally approve NRK's venue choice.

The 55th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Oslo, Norway, on 25, 27 and 29 May, 2010.